Bamford joined County in the January transfer window after spending the first half of the season at MK Dons where he amassed 17 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions. The 20-year old's impressive spell at the League One club led Chelsea to raise the standard of competition to test the young forward.

After replacing former Tottenham midfielder Simon Dawkins on the hour- mark, Bamford showed 15 minutes later that he certainly belongs in the Championship with his classy goal which put Derby ahead.

Jamie Ward played a neat one-two with Bamford, which saw the ball deflect of a Brighton defender and into the path of the youngster who calmly curled a superb left-footed shot past Tomasz Kuszczak.

Bamford was thrilled with his debut when speaking to the Derby Telegraph after the match: "I was delighted to get the goal. When I woke up on the morning of the game, I felt I was going to score.

"One of the things I have been working while I was at MK Dons was being ruthless. When you get that one chance, you've got to take it."